Iran has been officially invited to participate in the Geneva 2 Syria peace conference on January 22, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The Syrian National Coalition has threatened to withdraw from the talks, unless Iran’s invitation is revoked.

The UN chief also said that he had assurances from Iran's Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that Tehran would play a
“constructive role" in solving the crisis in Syria,
Reuters reports.

“I believe strongly that Iran needs to be part of the
solution to the Syrian crisis,” Ban told reporters today in
New York after discussions with Iranian officials. “Iran said
that they are committed to play a very constructive and important
and positive role.”

The US State Department has accepted the invitation of Iran on
the condition it expresses “explicit and public support for
the full implementation of the Geneva communiqué including the
establishment of a transitional governing body by mutual consent
with full executive authorities.”

"If Iran does not fully and publicly accept the Geneva
communiqué, the invitation must be rescinded," State
Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, expressing deep concern
about Iran's “contributions to the Assad regime's brutal
campaign against its own people.”

So far, Tehran has not accepted the Geneva 1 declaration in full
because it believes creating a transitional government in Syria
would exclude any participation of President Bashar Assad from
the country's political future. Ban however said he is convinced
Iran eventually will accept the Geneva 1 communique.

"Foreign Minister Zarif and I agree that the goal of the
negotiations is to establish, by mutual consent, a transitional
governing body with full executive powers," Ban said.
"It was on that basis that Foreign Minister Zarif pledged
that Iran would play a positive and constructive role in
Montreux."

Representatives of Iran and 39 other countries will attend talks
in Montreux, Switzerland in advance of negotiations in Geneva
starting January 22. Ban also has invited nine other nations on
Saturday that have an interest in the Syrian conflict, saying
that their presence would be an important display of solidarity.
These include representatives of Australia, Bahrain, Belgium,
Greece, the Holy See, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands and the
Republic of Korea.

According to another senior SNC member, the coalition was
“surprised" by the UN chief’s “illogical” move
to invite Iran and “cannot in any way accept it.”

Syria's main Western-backed political opposition group earlier
agreed to attend the meeting. A powerful group of Syrian Islamist
rebels however rejected the upcoming peace talks with the Assad
government.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on
Saturday that participants of the conference must adopt a
“realistic view.”

“Participants in the Geneva 2 forum must adopt a realistic
view and remember that their decisions should not lead to the
strengthening of extremist movements in Syria,” Abdollahian
said during the talks with French Deputy Foreign Minister
Jean-Francois Girault, the ISNA news agency reported on Sunday.

“The forum can provide a political solution providing the
people of Syria can decide the future of their country… in a
democratic solution that will be manifested in their votes,”
Abdollahian added.

Geneva 2, initiated by the United States and Russia aims to start
a political dialogue and agree transition map to end the nearly
three-year war that has killed an estimated 130,000 people and
forced millions to flee their homes.

Russia has been lobbying to bring Iran to the negotiations table
in Switzerland as the country plays an important role in
geopolitical affairs in the region. Tehran is also Damascus’s
closest ally.

Washington was the main party opposed to Iran’s participation in
Geneva 2 talks, accusing Tehran of providing financial and
military aid to the Syrian government and criticizing Tehran for
not signing the Geneva 1 communiqué. Washington’s regional allies
in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, were also hesitant
for Iran to join the diplomatic round in Switzerland.

Iran has repeatedly stated that it is willing to attend the talks
without any preconditions. “We insist that Iran will not
accept any preconditions to attend Geneva 2,” Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated on Saturday.